河北 李国勤
在句子中，谓语要受主语支配，即谓语和主语要在人称和数上保持一致，语法上称之为“主谓一致关系”。主谓一致关系是高考的热点之一。本文拟将这一语法现象中的难点加以归纳，以帮助大家复习迎考。
1. 用and或both…and…连接的并列主语通常要求其谓语用复数形式。例如：
What he says and what he does do not agree.
他言行不一。
Care and diligence bring luck.
严谨和勤奋带来好运。
Both copper and aluminum are good conductors.
铜和铝是良导体。
但是如果并列主语指的是同一个人、同一事物、同一概念或并列的单数主语前有each, every, many a, more than one或no等修饰时，其谓语用单数形式。例如：
In this hotel, the bread and butter (=the bread with butter) is served for breakfast.
Truth and honesty is the best policy.
In China every boy and every girl has the right to go to school.
Many a teacher and student has carried out experiments on how to control ground subsidence.
许多师生都做过控制地面下沉的实验。
I think there is more than one answer to the question you gave.
我认为你所提的问题不止有一个答案。
No teacher and no student has had practice in the field.
没有一个老师或学生在这个领域实践过。
2. 表示时间、距离、重量、长度、价值等概念的名词复数作主语，表示整体意义时，其谓语用单数形式。例如：
Three weeks was allowed for making the necessary preparations.
给三周时间来做必要的准备。
5, 000 kilometers is a good distance.
Thousands of tons of steel is needed in our factory.
我们工厂需要数千吨钢材。
Twenty shillings for a pound of nice tea doesn’t seem expensive.
表示算式时，谓语用单、复数形式都行。例如：
Two and two makes (make) four.
3. 以-s结尾的学科名词，如mathematics, physics, politics等；表示国家、报刊、书籍、戏剧等名称的复数名词（组）以及means, news等，都是形复意单词。它们作主语时，其谓语通常用单数形式。例如：
“Politics is much more difficult than Physics,” said Einstein.
爱因斯坦说：“政治比物理难多了。”
The Times is a paper of long standing.
《泰晤士报》历史悠久。
There is no means of telling what will happen.
无法知道将会发生什么。
4. family, class, team, group, audience, club, committee, couple, government, public等集合名词作主语时，若指的是一个整体概念（代词用it，关系词用which），其谓语用单数形式；若指的是其中的一个个成员（代词用they，关系词用who），其谓语用复数形式。例如：
His family is big.
My family were watching TV at that time last night.
The present government, which hasn’t been in power long, is trying to control inflation. It isn’t having much success.
现政府上台不久，试图控制通货膨胀，但收效甚微。
The government, who are looking for a quick victory, are calling for a general election soon. They expect to be re-elected.
政府希求很快获胜，他们要求立即大选，指望重新当选。
Population的用法与此类似，即若指的是一个整体概念（代词用it，关系词用which），其谓语用单数形式；若指的是其中的一个个成员（代词用they，关系词用who），其谓语用复数形式。例如：
The population of China is the largest in the world.
中国人口世界第一。
More than seventy percent of Chinese population are farmers.
中国人口的70%多是农民。
5. 另一类表示复数意义的集合名词people, folk, cattle, the military, the police等作主语时，其谓语用复数形式。例如：
People here are very friendly.
The police are looking for the lost boy.
警察正在找那个失踪的孩子。
Cattle were allowed to graze on the village common.
村里公地原来允许放牧。
Some folk are never satisfied.
有些人从不满足。
6. 单数名词或代词作主语时，其后的along with, as well as, in addition to, like, no less than, (together) with短语，虽然逻辑上被认为是主语的一部分，但其实是插入成分，所以其谓语用单数形式。例如：
My sister with her classmates is going to visit the Great Wall.
The driver, as well as two of the passengers has miraculously escaped death.
司机和两名乘客奇迹般地活了下来。
Copper, like many other metals, is a good conductor.
铜与其他许多金属一样是良导体。
Mathematics, in addition to these subjects, is taught at colleges of arts.
文科院校除了这些课程外，还教授数学。
Man, no less than the lower forms of life, is a product of the evolutionary process.
人与其他低级动物一样，是进化过程的产物。
另外主语之后带有but, except, not, rather than等表示“除了”意义的短语或主语之后带有分词短语时，谓语不受这些短语的影响，只同主语的人称和数保持一致。例如：
Nobody but his most intimate friends knows of it.
除了他要好的朋友，没人知道此事。
All except me in my family are going to the theatre tonight.
今晚全家除我之外都去看戏。
He, not you, is in charge of the project.
是他而不是你负责这项工程。
He, rather than his roommates, asks for leave today.
今天他请假了，他的室友没请假。
The tree planted by my brothers five years ago has grown tall.
我的弟兄们五年前栽的树已经长高了。
7. 由or, either…or…, neither…nor…, not only…but also等连词连接并列主语时，谓语动词应和最接近的那个主语保持一致。例如：
Neither you nor she has been to the USA before.
Are you or he right?
There is neither a table nor chairs in such a big room.
偌大个屋子既无桌子又无椅子。
Either father or I myself am going to see mother off at the station.
要么父亲要么我自己去车站送母亲。
Not only mother but (also) we children are looking forward to Uncle Sam’s coming.
不仅母亲，连我们小孩子都在盼望山姆舅舅的到来。
Not he but I am qualified for the post.
不是他而是我能胜任这项工作。
8. 短语或句子作主语时，其谓语一般用单数形式。例如：
What you said is wrong.
Watching TV too much is had for your health.
To read more books is the best policy for us young students. (= It is the best policy for us young students to read more books.)
对于我们学生来说，多读书是上策。
9. 由there, here开头的倒装句，若主语不止一个时，谓语动词应和最接近的那个主语保持一致。例如：
There is a pen and some books on the desk.
Here are some books and paper for you.
10. 当kind of, pair of, glass of等表示明确数量的名词作主语时，谓语动词应和kind, pair, glass等词的数保持一致。例如：
This pair of shoes is dirty.
There are two glasses of tea on the table.
A new suit of clothes has been prepared for your wedding.
已经给你准备一套新的结婚礼服。
There are three sets of forceps on the table.
桌子上有三套牙钳。
11. 由“a lot of/ lots of/ plenty of/ a heap of/ heaps of或分数/百分数+名词”作主语时，其谓语的数要和名词的数保持一致。例如；
A lot of people have been to London.
A lot of water in the river is dirty.
Two-fifths of the water in the river is dirty.
Two-fifths of the students in our school are from the countryside.
12. 由“a number of+复数名词”作主语，其谓语用复数形式；由“the number of+复数名词”作主语，其谓语用单数形式。例如：
A number of people are going to visit Beijing.
有很多人计划参观北京。
The number of the students in our school is 3, 500.
我们学校学生的人数是3, 500人。
13. 不定代词something, anything, nothing, everything, somebody, anybody, nobody, everybody, each, neither, either, little, much, one等作主语时，其谓语用单数形式。例如：
Neither of them is from Africa.
Each of them has an English dictionary.
Only one of the students was late yesterday. 又如：
Each of us has something to say.
我们每个人都有些话要说。
Somebody is using the computer.
有人在用电脑。
14. 由“a/ this/ that+kind/ sort/ type/ series+of+单数或复数名词”作主语时谓语用单数形式。例如：
This kind of rose fills the air with fragrance when it blooms in May.
A new series of textbooks has been prepared for the coming school year.
That type of weapon is our-of-date.
15. 由“these/ those+kinds/ sorts/ types/ series+of+复数名词”作主语时谓语用复数形式。例如：
These kinds of apples are highly priced.
Those types of computers are more advanced.
16. 关系代词who, that, which等在定语从句中作主语时，其谓语动词的数要与主句中的先行词保持一致。例如：
Those who want to go swimming please sign their names here.
Some of the energy that is used by man nowadays comes from the atom.
现在人类正在使用的一些能源是原子能。
摘自 中学生英语读写
